The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is a non-profit foundation established in 1998 under Swiss law, headquartered at the Maison de la paix in Geneva. It works to reduce the risks posed by landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) by supporting national mine action authorities, operators, and donors with research, training, and policy advice.
The GICHD is best known as the custodian of the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), which it develops and maintains on behalf of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). IMAS provide the technical and managerial benchmarks used by clearance operators worldwide, covering everything from survey methodology and demining procedures to victim assistance and quality management.
The Centre also hosts the implementation support units for several key treaties, including:
- The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty, 1997) — its Implementation Support Unit is based at the GICHD.
- The Convention on Cluster Munitions (Oslo, 2008) — its Implementation Support Unit is likewise hosted there.
GICHD activities typically include capacity-building for national mine action centres, gender and diversity mainstreaming in mine action, land release methodologies, ammunition safety management, and the application of new technologies such as drones and information management systems (notably the Information Management System for Mine Action, IMSMA, originally developed with GICHD support).
The Centre is funded primarily by Switzerland and a group of donor states, and it is governed by a Council of Foundation. While it does not itself conduct clearance operations in the field, its standard-setting and advisory role makes it a central institutional actor in the humanitarian disarmament architecture. For MUN delegates working on DISEC, humanitarian affairs, or post-conflict reconstruction, the GICHD is a frequent reference point on mine action policy and treaty implementation.
Example
In 2022, the GICHD supported Ukraine's mine action authorities in scaling up survey and clearance operations following the full-scale Russian invasion, providing technical advice and training aligned with IMAS.
Frequently asked questions
No. The GICHD provides standards, research, training, and advisory support; actual clearance is carried out by national authorities, NGOs such as HALO Trust and MAG, and commercial operators.
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